In Food Minister Ranendra Pratap’s house turf, paddy procurement woes overflow

Express News Service

CUTTACK In Cuttack district, house to Food Supplies and Consumers Welfare Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain, farmers’ anger over irregularities in kharif paddy procurement has been spilling onto the roads.Thousands of paddy growers have been left within the lurch allegedly as a consequence of unholy nexus between the civil provide officers and the millers. Procurement ended on March 31 and farmers at the moment are resorting to misery sale.

According to official reviews, a whopping 15,728 farmers of Cuttack district have been disadvantaged of promoting their paddy after procurement ended. Around 66,535 farmers of 14 blocks throughout the district had registered on-line to promote their paddy. 

Accordingly, the Cuttack administration had set a goal to obtain 13 lakh quintal paddy via 225 paddy procurement centres together with 204 mandis arrange at totally different major agriculture cooperative societies (PACS) working in 14 blocks throughout the district. However, the district administration might procure 15.22 lakh quintal paddy from 50,912 farmers.

Interestingly, the administration had engaged millers from Bargarh to raise paddy from Cuttack. They simply purchased 5 % of the goal, leaving the officers red-faced.In 2021, 62,393 farmers had registered on the societies on the market of kharif paddy however 11,748 of them couldn’t promote their inventory. Nine millers had procured 16.45 lakh quintal paddy.

Irate farmers of Nischintakoili block on Wednesday blocked the Cuttack-Chandbali State freeway at Panaspadia Gandhi Chhak for 5 hours demanding procurement of their unsold paddy beneath the minimal assist worth (MSP) mounted by the federal government. Due to gross negligence and irregularities on the a part of Baliapada Cooperative Service Society officers, 58 farmers couldn’t promote 1,308 quintal paddy this time, they alleged.

Although their iris scanning was carried out throughout registration for procurement and tokens supplied to them with date and timing for paddy sale, the farmers mentioned they didn’t get an opportunity to promote their inventory. They alleged that the society officers in connivance with native millers delayed the procurement in order that they are going to be pressured to promote paddy beneath the MSP.Prior to this, farmers of Salepur and Narasinghpur blocks too had staged agitation over the identical problem. 

“If such irregularities exist in the home district of Minister for Food Supplies Ranedra Pratap Swain, one can only think about the plight of farmers in other parts of Odisha,” mentioned a disgruntled farmer. Additional Civil Supply Officer Gyanendra Mishra mentioned seven millers from Bargarh district have been engaged for procurement of present yr’s kharif paddy.

“After procuring 65,000 quintal paddy, the seven millers refused to purchase paddy on the ground that paddy was of poor quality. We then deployed another eight millers from Cuttack who lifted the rest 14,57,212 quintal paddy by March 31,” he mentioned.

Farmers have blamed lack of coordination amongst Civil Supply, Cooperation division and millers. “Why have been millers from one other district engaged for procurement in Cuttack within the first place,’’ they requested.